


Static

by lrceleste



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-12-16
Packaged: 2018-02-13 13:20:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2152251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lrceleste/pseuds/lrceleste
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the soulmate AU in which there's a device that lets you listen to the voice of your soulmate. Also running with my headcanon of teen Sjin being really quiet because he’s shy and stutters a lot, but gets a lot more confident after meeting Sips because they just talk so much shit together. More like uni age though instead of teencast.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Nobody questioned it anymore; the strange machine that let you hear a voice, only one voice, and led you to what everyone referred to as your ‘soul mate’. This particular variation of the device had been passed down through generations, it was almost an antique, but still serviceable. Nearly everyone in the family had found there partner through the strange contraption. Sat next to it breath held, palms clammy, waiting for that moment when it ticked over and that voice came over the speaker, the voice they’d been waiting to hear their whole life.  
All he heard was static.  
Letting out the breath he was holding, Sips’ head fell into his hands. Taking deep even breaths he tried to calm down, tried to convince himself that maybe the machine was broken, maybe that was why he’d never heard a voice. There had to be someone out there for him, anybody.  
Just like he did every night, he left the device on the drawers by his bed, the static continuing to crackle quietly as he drifted to sleep, hoping that maybe he would be awoken suddenly by a voice. The battery usually ran out well before morning, and no voice ever came through the speakers.  
Sips had resigned, finally accepting the realisation that he had no ‘soulmate’, when the HAT guys held one of their stupid drunken get-togethers. It was well into the early hours of the morning when someone laughed, Sips couldn’t recall who it was that said, “We should do it; it’ll be fun.”  
The ‘it’ that they’d been referring to was the device, far more modern than the one that Sips owned. It was all well and good for them, they already knew that the three of them were soulmate’s, and Turps was always enthusiastic to listen to the voice of his soulmate, a woman who they didn’t yet know the identity of. Sips on the other hand, vehemently argued against using it. He’d never confess to the guys that he sat next to his own every night, waiting for something, anything to come over the static. He outright lied that he’d never used the likes of the device before, and never planned to.  
Tonight, whether it was because they were more persuasive than usual, or whether it was the alcohol in his system, he swatted the air with a lazy hand, slurring “Sure, why the fuck not?!”  
As usual the three of them pissed around for a considerable amount of time, listening to their own voices in the machine, playing dumb games that made them all laugh. After the novelty wore off yet again, Turps took his turn, smiling dumbly as he heard that same voice again. Sips watched him, sitting there like a love struck puppy, even after he’d heard that voice so many times, even though it was just jabbering on about nothing of importance, even though all he could hear was her side of the conversation, he still smiled.  
Then they all turned to him, Turps enthusiastically saying, “Go on. Honestly, it’s one of the best things, hearing their voice. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen?”  
Sips knew exactly what the worst that could happen was, that same static he heard every night. But he’d given up, with a shrug of his shoulders he mumbled, taking Turps’ place Smiffy started to give him instructions, but Sips swatted him away, “I know how to use it.”  
He pressed the button quickly, not caring to wait with bated breath, or get excited, because it only meant he would be more disappointed when he heard that same static. Sips could see it out of the corner of his eye, the grin on Turps’ lips disappearing as the familiar static kicked in. “I’ve never heard a voice. I- I don’t have a soulmate…” He admitted.  
“You knew?” Trott asked quietly.  
“Yeah, I-”  
“H-Hello?” A timid voice asked quietly. Everyone fell quiet, looking down at the contraption. “S-S-Sips.”  
“Fuck!” Sips cried, looking down in horror at the machine before him. “Hello?!”  
“Hey. You’re wrong, I-I’m your s-s-soulmate…” The quiet voice continued.  
“I- Yeah, I guess you must be…” His confusion received a quiet chuckle from the man on the other end. “How are we talking?”  
“I g-g-guess it’s because we’re l-listening to each other.” His voice was high but still soft, drawn out by his stutters.  
“You listen to me? I-I’ve never heard you before.”  
“I-I don’t talk v-v-very often. I listen all of the t-time though.”  
A smile spread across Sips’ lips before he exclaimed “Oh fuck, what have I said?!”  
A quiet chuckle came over the speaker. “D-Don’t worry about it. I have to g-go, I’ve got Uni.”  
“It’s three in the morning?!”  
“N-Not here.”  
“Ok, well… Tell me your name!”  
“S-Sjin.”  
“Shin? Ok, I’ll speak to you again.”  
“S-Sure thing. Bye Sipsy.”  
“Bye…”  
Once again there was static. Sips leaned back looking down at the device in front of him; for once in his life it seemed that he was speechless. Eventually the static ended and the room was plunged into silence. That was his soulmate. He’d just talked with a stranger, someone he had never met before, yet there he sat, his lips spread into a smile as he tried to remember his voice, to stash it in his memory, to never forget the way he laughed for those brief moments, one day he’d find him, he knew it.  
Turps was the one to break the silence. “I didn’t know you were gay, ‘Sipsy’?!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sips and Sjin finally meet, after a long time of talking to one another.

Sips rung his hands together; constantly checking his phone, he tried to occupy his restless hands as he waited at the arrival gate. He cursed himself for not bringing a sign, the whole ‘being able to tell who your soulmate was’ idea that Sjin held was cute until you realised that you were stood in an airport with over a hundred people getting off a plane and you didn’t know who you were looking for, other than a male brunette.  
Several men walked past that perfectly fit the incredibly brief description that he’d been given, but they all hurried past, as the crowd of arrivals thinned out families leaving, people climbing into taxis and heading home.  
Then he saw him, well he assumed it must be him. Ridiculously tall, his body too slim for it to look in proportion he stumbled slightly, falling over nothing. Slender fingers scratching his beard as he looked around in confusion, taking in everyone in the room, hopefully searching for the grey man.  
Sips’ mind went over the conversation they’d had all that time ago.  
“I just want it to b-be romantic.”  
“Romantic? You think walking around an airport trying to figure out who you are will be romantic? Are you Sjin? No, ok, are you Sjin?”  
“It won’t be l-like that. We’ll know.”  
“We’ll know? I don’t even know what hair colour you have.”  
“Brown. We’ll s-see each other at the airport, and we’ll j-just know. You’ll s-sweep me off my feet and it’ll be romantic.”  
“You’ve really got high hopes for me then?”  
“You’re my soulmate. I’m s-sure you’ll do fine.”  
Sips made his way through the few remaining stragglers at the airport, closing the distance between himself and the bearded man. When he was only feet away when the man looked to him, a small smile forming on his lips as his eyebrows pulled together.  
Sips gave the next few moments a lot of thought, and simultaneously didn’t think at all. He wrapped his arms around the slim man, accidently knocking him from his feet in the process, and almost losing his own balance as he tightened his grip around him, preventing him from hitting the ground.  
Looking down at the surprise and confusion on the face of the bearded man that was depending on him for balance, Sips muttered to himself, “I really hope I’m right.”  
Shutting his eyes tightly he pressed his lips against the man in his arms, his body stiffening as the beard tickled Sips’ lips. They were both stiff for a moment, and Sips began to panic, began to believe that he had chosen the wrong person, that Sjin’s stupid theory hadn’t worked, just like he’d anticipated.  
Slowly the man in his arms melted into the kiss, forcing Sips to shift his weight as he tried to keep the slim man suspended in his arms. Slim fingers cupped his cheek, as a slender arm snaked around his shoulders.  
When they finally pulled away, slightly out of breath, their eyes fuzzy from being shut for a considerable amount of time, Sips chuckled. “I guess you’re Sjin.”  
The bearded man’s eyebrows pulled together, the smile on his lips disappearing. “No.”  
Flustered Sips tried desperately to help the man in his arms, pulling him out of the dip and straightening him up on solid ground. He tried desperately not to meet his gaze as he mumbled an apology full of curses. What if Sjin had seen?  
Slender hands cupped his face, lifting his gaze to the bearded man, who, with a chuckle, admitted, “I’m just f-fucking with you Sipsy.”  
“You sonovabitch. I was worried.” Sjin laughed, and Sips felt his breath catch, watching the smile that accompanied the laugh he’d heard so many times before. Gesturing to the suitcase beside them he asked, “I-Is this your bag?”  
When Sjin nodded he grabbed the suitcase with one hand, and slowly took Sjin’s hand in the other, determining how the bearded man reacted. When he was met with a kind smile he squeezed Sjin’s hand lightly, receiving a quiet chuckle in reply.  
“This is… weird.” Sjin said, looking down at Sips.  
“Yeah?”  
“Yeah. Just seeing you, actually here. I don’t think I’ve realised that it’s really you yet.”  
Their ride home was reasonably quick. The taxi far quicker than Sips’ beat-up old truck could ever have been capable of. They sat in silence, their hands interlocked, until one of them would giggle, and neither of them quite knew why they were laughing, they only knew that finally they were seeing one another. They watched the world go by out of the window, stealing glances in each other’s direction and laughing when they made eye contact.  
“This is my place.” Sips announced as he pushed the front door open, wheeling Sjin’s suitcase inside. He heard the door shut behind him, and before he had a chance to explain anything further, Sjin’s lips were on his own, slender hands ran over his body as their lips mashed together, their breath heavy.  
“Get a room you two!” Turps cried from the kitchen door.  
Sjin pulled away immediately, sorting himself out as the blush rose on his cheeks.  
“This is Turps, one of my flatmates.” Sips said gesturing to the man that filled the door way. “Turps, this is Sjin.”  
Sjin gave a muffled “Hey” as Turps stood up straight, raising an eyebrow and smirking as he left the room.  
“We should go to my room. The guys won’t bother us.”  
=  
They stood awkwardly on opposite sides of the bed neither of them wanting to be the first to make a move, but both of them itching to move forward. Sips finally made a move, crawling over the bed he reached out, pulling Sjin to sit beside him. Cautiously he ran his fingers over the buttons on Sjin’s shirt, undoing them slowly.  
He’d waited to see Sjin for so long, he’d fallen in love with a man he’d never seen, he’d never touched, and it made him feel vulnerable. He didn’t want to wait any longer, he wanted to make up for all of the lost time, to touch and kiss every inch of Sjin’s body, to finally explore the man he’d fallen in love with, and fall in love with him all over again.  
He pulled his own shirt over his head, before pushing Sjin’s off his shoulders.  
Sips kicked off his pants, leaving just his boxers as he led down, waiting patiently. Sjin followed his lead, far more cautiously. When he was settled Sips wrapped his arm around his middle, resting his head against his chest, the thick hair tickling the grey man’s forehead.  
“I feel like we should get to know each other.” Sips suggested as he ran a hand over Sjin’s hip, the bone prominent on the slim man.  
It was the second time that Sjin became very aware that he’d never really met Sips, it was one thing speaking to one another, but it was entirely different being together like this. Sjin pulled away from his touch slightly, barely enough to be noticed, but Sips was so focused on Sjin’s body that he felt it. “Are you ok?”  
“Sips, if it’s ok, I-I don’t want anything to happen between us tonight. I’m tired from the flight, and I sh-should really freshen up, and I feel, I feel like we don’t really know each other, but I-” Sips put a finger on his lips silencing him.  
“You don’t have to explain. How about cuddling?”  
“Cuddling sounds good to me.”  
“How did you get this?” Sips asked, running his finger over Sjin’s hip again. Looking down Sjin realised that his finger was tracing a faint scar that ran over his hip.  
“Oh. That was an accident at the farm when I was a kid.”  
“Yeah? You got any tattoos?”  
“No.” He answered with a smile as Sips continued to run his hands over the tan man’s skin, tracing imperfections and caressing bumps and bruises. “Do you have any tattoos?”  
“Yeah. But it’s really fuckin’ embarrassing, we were all drunk okay?”  
“You’ve got to let me see.” Sjin insisted with a giggle.


	3. Chapter 3

It was strange, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to explain it, the feeling of waking up next to someone you’d only seen for the first time the day before, but knowing every little detail about them, knowing more about them than anyone else, and knowing they held the same amount of information on you. It was strange seeing someone and not recognising them, their face new to you, but knowing wholeheartedly that they were the love of your life.  
Sips rolled over to look at him, shaking away the slim man’s gentle hug as his mouth opening wide in a yawn, Sjin couldn’t help but giggle. The quiet laughing roused the grey man from his early morning stupor, causing him to look at his bearded alarm clock with a quizzical expression. After the few seconds of initial confusion he stretched his limbs, smiling up at the man that leaned over him.  
“Morning.”  
“Morning Sipsy.” Sips continued to look up at him with that content smile, as he pulled him down to the bed, taking him in his arms and pulling him as close as their bodies would allow. Sjin buried his head under Sips’ chin, letting out a contented sigh as thick arms tightened around him for only a moment.  
“I never want to let go.”  
“I don’t want to leave.”  
Sjin wasn’t too sure how long they’d led there like that, wrapped in each other’s arms, the only sound each other’s breathing and the quiet clatter of whatever Sips’ housemates were doing downstairs. It was perfect. They could have been anywhere in that moment, and it would have still been perfect, so long as he still felt those arms around him, knowing fully well that they were Sips’ arms, that the voice he’d spilled every detail of his life to had a body and arms and a beating heart and he was being held by the owner of the voice he’d fallen in love with.  
Eventually they had to let go of one another, and sooner than they’d have hoped it was time for Sjin to return home. He’d never forget being stood at the airport, Sips so reluctant to let go of him. He’d felt so stupid for having reservations about meeting Sips in the flesh, his usually brash attitude and bravado were toned down to the point where it was almost unrecognisable. He was soft and gentle, and so obviously still Sips, but with the edges rounded.  
=  
Laughing quietly Sjin tried desperately not to wake the student asleep in the room next to his. It was nearly four am and with exams creeping up on them, he realised that he should probably have been sleeping too, these were final exams after all. There was something else he’d rather be doing though. It had been almost three weeks since he’d returned from visiting Sips, and not a night had gone by since then where they hadn’t spoken.  
“Shouldn’t you be getting to sleep?” Sips asked quietly, trying not to alert his flatmates to the fact that he was talking to Sjin again.  
“Yeah, I guess… I was just thinking about when I visited. I’m sorry I was too nervous.” He muttered, referring to his caution when it came to any Sips advances, and his unwillingness to attempt anything more than French kissing.  
“It’s fine, I was really nervous too. If you feel up to it maybe next time we meet..?”  
“You want to meet again?”  
“Did you seriously just ask me that? You really just asked if I want to see the man I love again?” There was a short silence as Sjin took in that sentence, as he realised that Sips had never said the ‘l word’ before, in fact he seemed to say anything he could to avoid saying that word out loud. “Sjin… You ok, you’ve gone really quiet?”  
“You’ve never said that before. I love you Sipsy.”  
“Yeah. Well, I love you too.” He said it slowly, emphasising every word. Even though he knew Sips couldn’t see, Sjin covered his lips with his hand, trying to conceal the grin, and the blush that was spreading over his cheeks.  
“Imagine if you’d never tried Turps’ device, if we hadn’t talked that night. I can’t even remember what life was like before I spoke to you, before we talked every night, what did I even do?”  
“Your stutter was really bad.”  
“Don’t remind me.” Sjin groaned.  
“Aw, come on it was cute. But I’ve got to admit I prefer it now that you’re not scared to talk to me, it kind of got in the way of the whole trying to get to know each other… I wish I could see you right now.”  
“No you don’t, I’m in pyjamas snuggled up in bed.”  
“You’re wrong, I do want to see you, I don’t just want to see you when you’ve got your hair done up, and you’ve sorted out your moustache. I wanna see what you look like when you wake up in the morning, and when you’re just lazing about in your room in your sweatpants.”  
“Sometimes you’re just such a romantic.”  
“Seeing your boyfriend all messed up in his sweatpants is a romantic thing? Shit, now I know where I’ve been failing.”  
“You try and pretend you’re not, but I know the truth.”  
“Don’t tell Turps he’d take the piss… My batteries about to run out; and you need to get some sleep.”  
Sjin was about to argue that he could keep on talking but a yawn broke through his argument, and in truth he did need to sleep, he was becoming almost nocturnal in order to talk with Sips. He stifled his yawn, trying not to alert Sips to just how tired he was.  
Sjin smiled to himself, his eye lids heavy, threatening to close and pull him to sleep.  
“Sjin?”  
“Yeah?”  
“I love you.”  
"I love you too."


End file.
